While our success attracted more customers, more employees, and more profits, it also attracted a billion dollar predator. If I could give someone in my shoes advice I would tell them: “Know the industry you are in. If you are in a billion dollar industry and you are not a billion dollar player you need to whisper and tip toe when you achieve success and hold your breath when you make money”.

Financial Post Magazine, November, 2012 Feature articles written by Christine Dobby of the National Post.

Digital Shift

Make a Shift

When nature wants to give us a message sometimes it has to be very bold and make a huge statement to get our attention. This is because as humans we are so caught up in trivia that we most often miss the quiet callings and beauty in the sublime.

I walked out on my porch to feed my flowerpots, as I do every summer morning, and there, lying on its side next to all the blooms was the most beautiful tiny humming bird. It had wings the colour of a rainbow and a tiny body with delicately proportioned features. I had never been so close to something so exquisite as this. The beautiful creature had passed away so I buried it in the flowerpot that it had so often frequented. I then went about my chores but all the while wondering if nature was communicating something to me?

The next day I put up a humming bird feeder in the tree and to my amazement I attracted some dozen humming birds; even one with a red throat!

Humming birds are very loud. While tiny, they make an entrance and know how to command a stage. They can fly forward and backwards adapting to any setting as they go about living “in the flow” of life. They do not allow others to bully them and fearlessly defend their turf. They love bright colours, aromas and sweet nectar. They have an energy and vitality that inspires joy.

I learned that humming birds have great significance in many different cultures. They are symbols of peace, friendship, love and joy. In the Andes in South America the humming bird is considered a symbol of awakening and of resurrection. I was surprised to learn that their fluttering wings move in a pattern of the infinity symbol further solidifying their symbolism of eternity and continuity.

I discovered that the appearance of the humming bird for me was a wake up call and sign to get moving and be persistent in pursuit of my dreams. Success is achieved by enjoying the beauty and magic in every day, as it is through the feeling of joy in our heart that we are able to manifest the most value and meaning in our lives.

If you encounter a humming bird in your life ask yourself these questions:

1. Have I been focused on all that is beautiful and good in my life?
2. Am I experiencing life through all my senses, noticing colour and aromas?
3. Do I need to change direction to be more in flow?
4. Am I surrounding myself with people who are joyful and who value me for who I am?
5. Am I focused on what brings me joy and happiness?

Thank you humming bird for your wisdom and for the joy you bring. I hear your message and heed your advice. Now I must mix up some more nectar because you guys are so thirsty!

The official start of the 2012 sailing season was recognized by an opening reception at the Royal Lake of the Woods Yacht Club this past weekend. The outgoing Commodore, a former Olympic sailing champion, began with an announcement that the scheduled race for that day had been canceled due to “lack of wind”. It would run tomorrow, he said.

What is “lack of wind” I pondered? And how interesting that only a day earlier I had had a session with a business coach on this very subject.

The coach has senior execs, entrepreneurs and athletes as clients (some of whom he has helped make a come back after serious injury). During our session I was feeling frustrated because while most things seemed to be in place in my business, I was having trouble due to a “lack of wind”. “How are you defining wind Elizabeth?” he asked. This was a very interesting question and I examined my sailing roots for the answer.

When I was young every Saturday morning in the summer my father would wake my brother and I for the sailing race at the Royal Lake of the Woods Yacht Club; “feet on the floor” he would bellow and my brother and I would groan. It took an hour to ready the Lightning (that was the class of boat we sailed in those days) and 45 minutes to tow it to the Yacht Club. We would untangle the halyards, fold all the sails, and bail the boat (every drop had to be sponged out as my father inspected). Some days there appeared to be no wind but to my father this was a light wind day and to him that was an advantage since he had a “light wind crew”. I can remember on one occasion a dozen Lightnings lined up with their crews on the starting line when there was no wind. My father whispered to my brother and I “wait for it….ah there’s a puff” as we drifted another couple of feet. My brother rolled his eyes in absolute boredom because as far as he was concerned my father was making up “the puff” and we were in for a long race.

It occurred to me that to the successful Olympic sailor who has sailed and competed in high winds and to the accomplished entrepreneur who has battled a competitive marketplace and won, starting again in either career can be difficult as the vision that once provided competitive advantage no longer serves as an advantage in a re-start. The problem is in the definition of “wind”. This needs to change.

To my father the “lack of wind” was not important. In fact he never even noticed it. It was all about being in the sailboat, being in the race, and being a sailor. That is what mattered. You see a sailor sails, just as an entrepreneur creates a business. The important thing is that you are in the game and ready for when the real winds of opportunity come because if you think there’s not enough wind to start you might never get started. And, if you never get started you will indeed remain in the doldrums.

On Thursday I was an invited speaker at the EO (Entrepreneurs Organization)Toronto hosted event “Lessons from the Edge”. Prior to my speech a group of us scaled The Edge of the CN Tower Cat Walk. The event is called The Edge Walk.  It was a fantastic experience to look down on the expanse of Lake Ontario and the vibrant city of Toronto from 356 meters above.

As Lady Gaga said “The Edge is the Moment of Truth” and indeed it is. It is also where darkness becomes light, where we step from one paradigm to the next and where we step from blindness to discover who we really are. For me the whole “Lessons from the Edge” event was cathartic. It was the perfect venue from which to officially launch into my new life. And while I don’t have all the answers yet, the one thing I have discovered is that when you are on The Edge the most important thing you need is faith and to believe in yourself. I have also discovered that as human beings we are blessed with a remarkable gift, an ability to solve any issue we face in life by going within.

Faith, belief in self, and perseverance is the heart of entrepreneurism. Of course being a crazy risk taker isn’t for the faint of heart.  At one point our guide had us walking on The Edge on tippy-toes. Whoa!

A weekend retreat with my EO Forum mates in the Muskokas provided a wonderful opportunity to take a deep dive into our businesses and our workings, exploring what things get in the way to our greater productivity. Facilitator Colin Collard kept us on our toes to the wee hours of 4am. A highlight of the retreat was a mountain bike trek through the woods in pouring rain which tested our stamina and entrepreneurial perserverence. A hot shower never felt so good afterwords. A great moment in time is caught in this photo. From left to right: Brad, Bill, Ron, Thomas, Elizabeth, Richard, Jody and Holt. (Anthony stayed back at the fort to get our cocktails ready)